2 – Bad company
After maybe half an hour of careful inspection with Gamora's help, the assessment of the situation was "not good, but not desperate". The left wing had taken most of the damage. The elevons and rudders were broken and the top winglet was missing. One of the feather mechanisms was also seriously jammed. Peter was currently sitting astride one of the stabilizers and carefully disengaging rocks and bits of fossilized tree from one of the rocket engines, while Gamora was on the ground, welding a broken rudder with a blowtorch from Peter's emergency box.
The former Ravager scratched the back of his neck for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes. An uneasy feeling was crawling into him, as if they were being watched.
Maybe the debilitating dry heat was getting to him, but his gut kept screaming at him that something wasn't right, and he always listened to his gut. With a resigned sigh, he activated his mask, thinking of using the sensors to detect anything his half terran's eyes couldn't see, and yelped. Five weird and big creatures were creeping toward them, and two of them were getting dangerously close to Gamora.
"Gamora! Behind you!" he screamed, getting her attention.
She turned around, using the blowtorch as a weapon, but couldn't see anything. "Quill, now is not the time for your jokes," she said, turning the tool off. And the things were still crawling behind her, reaching for her legs.
Having no time to argue anymore, Peter jumped down, grabbed her by the waist and activated his jet-boots to reach the highest part of the wing, not listening to the outraged protests of his friend. He hauled her up onto it and screamed into his comm. "Rocket! Close the exits immediately, we've got company!"
"Peter, what is going on?!" Gamora shouted behind him.
"These things, I only can see them with my mask on! Just… trust me, please?" he said, shielding her and hurrying them both toward the cockpit. The creatures had reached the end of the wing now, and were closing in on them. Peter reached for his pocket only to realize he had left his coat inside the ship, and with it the remote control for the cockpit's side door. "Rocket! Drax! Open the door, now!"
The glass door lifted open and he pushed Gamora inside. That's when he felt it, a slimy thing grabbing his ankle and yanking him out. He landed on his belly with a grunt, latching onto the frame with all the strength he could muster. Kicking his legs in a desperate attempt at freeing himself, he felt Drax's strong hands grabbing his and pulling him in, but the creature's grip was equally strong. He let out a cry as he felt every joint in his body pop in protest.
"Guys! Just shoot the damn thing!"
"How? We can't see it!" Rocket answered, puzzled.
"That never stopped you before! Just aim right next to my left foot!" His ankle was killing him. He contorted himself to get a better look and realized with disgust that the thing holding his leg was in fact the creature's tongue. Yuck.
Rocket started shooting with the biggest weapon he had, then after two missing shots he finally aimed right and the creature released its prey, which happened to fall head over feet and on top of Drax.
Gamora closed the door in a hurry, and helped Peter while Drax was getting up. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the questions flew in a whirlwind.
"What the flark just happened?"
"Are you hurt?"
"I am Groot!"
"Is this invisible enemy still here?"
Peter rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the discomfort of having nearly been quartered a few seconds before. "Uh, let me see. I don't freaking know, I don't know my leg feels kinda weird, sorry Groot I didn't get you this time and yes, they're still here!"
He stood up, stretching out. "Wow Drax, you rolled me out like pie crust dough. Pretty sure I'm taller now. Am I taller than before?"
"Really? We're being attacked by a pack of invisible thingies that only you dummy can see and you're focusing on your height?"
"Yeah, sorry." Peter rubbed his arms nervously. "I guess the sensors inside my mask allow me to see through their cloaking abilities or whatever…"
"Yeah, I think infrared or something like that."
"You think you can do something about the sensors of the ship so they could ping on those things? Could be useful."
Rocket nodded, his genius brain already at work, and started pushing some buttons here and there.
Gamora put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. With the mask on, she couldn't read his face, but his tense posture was a good indication of how worried he was. "These creatures, what do they look like?"
"Uh… The stuff nightmares are made of?" His head was tilted back and following something on top of the glass dome above them. She didn't know what was more unnerving, the fact that those things were invisible or the fact that they also weren't making any noise at all.
"They look like a monstrous cross-breeding between a hairless leopard and a giant grasshopper, with a chameleon's tongue. It's very, very ugly. And scary." Their front part was as a leopard's, with a massive, feline-like head but with compound faceted eyes, and muscular front legs with big clawed paws. The rest of their horrible body was insectoid. Their shoulders and back were covered by a hard exoskeleton, they had a long abdomen ending with a sting, and long hind legs made for jumping. They really were terrifying.
Gamora smiled a little. "I don't know what these species look like." She heard Peter chuckle through his mask, giving it a little metallic sound.
"Yeah, they're terran species."
"How much are they?"
From where he stood, he could see a 320 angle, more or less. "I don't know, around twenty. I can't see if there are more behind us." He took a deep breath and looked at her through his glowing red lenses. "I should make sure no surprise guest sneaked in through the docking bay."
They all looked at him sternly. "Do you think one of these invisible creatures is inside the ship, unbeknownst to us?" Drax asked, tightening his grip on his beloved knives.
"It's a possibility. Better chase them now than be eaten in our sleep". He picked up every weapon he could carry.
"You cannot think of doing this alone, Peter. It is foolish and reckless, even for you!" Gamora said, promptly grabbing his wrist.
"And exactly what do you suggest we do?" he answered, gently freeing his wrist but keeping his hand on top of hers, unconsciously rubbing it with his thumb in a soothing gesture. "None of you can go in there blind; it'll only make you a liability. Plus, there's a great probability that they didn't get in, so it's just a precaution. I'll be fine."
Gamora pinched her lips, visibly upset by the whole thing. She knew he was right, but it didn't mean she had to like it. "Fine," she said. "But I really wish we could help. I hate this."
He snorted. "I bet you do." Gamora was one of the bravest persons he ever met, and the other ones were in the room with them. He was so proud to be a part of this team, to call them friends, to fight with them, for them.
He started climbing down the ladder and noticed that Groot was following him. "Groot, buddy, I have to do this alone..."
Groot shrugged and looked directly at the creatures crawling on the windshield, pointing at them with his finger. "I am Groot."
Peter was glad he had his mask on, because he was pretty sure he was making his dumbest face right now. "You can see them? Why didn't you say it before!?"
Groot shrugged. They didn't ask and he couldn't help before, so he didn't see the point. But now that he could be useful, he wasn't about to let his friend face great peril alone.
Gamora released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding until then, and turned to ask Rocket, who was still working on the sensors. "You knew?"
Rocket shrugged. "Didn't really pay attention, too busy shooting at invisible fuckers. Groot's eyes don't see the same as us mammals do so yeah, it's possible. Might even gimme an idea for us after I've finished working with those flarkin' sensors."
Peter clapped his hands once. "Great, that's great. You keep working on this infrared thing while Groot and I go downstairs to flush out any bugger that might have sneaked in. Drax, close the hatch behind us and don't open it until I or Groot ask you to."
He jumped the last steps separating him from the common area and Groot stepped in behind him. He raised his head when he didn't hear the hatch closing. "What are you waiting for? The thing's not going to close itself."
Gamora's head appeared above them, concern written all over her features. "I really don't like it Peter. We should wait until Rocket finds a way for all of us to see those creatures."
Peter deactivated his mask and rubbed his eyes before looking at her with what he hopped was a solemn and serious face. "Rocket's a genius but he can't do much from the bridge. I'm sure he could build infrared goggles for you to wear but he'll need actual stuff to do so and he'll only be able to find it when we're sure the ship is clear from unwanted monsters."
Rocket's voice boomed out across the ship. "As painful as it is for me to say, Quill's right. I know exactly what I need to build something that could help us and some of it is under my bunk."
Peter gave Gamora an apologetic smile before putting his mask back on. "It's settled then. Close the hatch and wish us good luck."
"Yeah. Don't get yourself killed."
"Aw, Rocket. Didn't know you cared."
"Was speaking to Groot, not you Douche-Lord."
The former Ravager chuckled. "I guess it's up to you and me now, Groot." he said as he heard the hatch being locked, readying his blaster gun.
"I am Groot." the flora colossus said, his tone and body language telling something like "we don't have much choice anyway".
"I hear you, buddy."
He didn't understand Groot like Rocket was able to, but he got the basics. "Yes", "No", "I want to help you", "I need help", I'm scared", "I'm happy", "I like this music" and of course, the favorite one among the Guardians: "You're an imbecile."
At first glance, the main area of the living quarters seemed empty. They were progressing slowly, checking every nook in the room from the ground to the ceiling, when all the lights died at once, then flickered back dimmer.
"Rocket, that you?" Peter asked.
"Nope." Rocket's voice answered through the comm, garbled with static.
"Damn. Groot, you can see in the dark, right?"
"I am Groot." Affirmative tone. Thank God or whatever.
"Please be careful."
"Don't worry Gamora, careful is my middle name."
"I do not understand, isn't your middle name Jason?"
Peter laughed. "Drax buddy, it's just a―" his words died on his tongue as he spotted a creature lurking on the ceiling next to his bunk, observing him with its insectoid eyes. Not losing any time, he shot fiery bolts of energy at it with his quad blaster. The thing fell on the ground but immediately got back on its monstrous legs, as if the blow had only tickled it.
"Okay, so the lethal bolts on my blaster don't hurt them. Good to know..." Peter tried a laser gun with zero effect. "And the laser gun doesn't work either. Fantastic."
Next to him, Groot let out an outraged roar, extended his arms toward the beast, catching it easily and ripped its head off with little effort. The thing's legs twitched for a few seconds before the remnants of the body went still.
"Well, at least crude decapitation works. Groot, I don't say it very often but I love you buddy!"
The flora colossus answered with a proud and earnest smile. He was very fond of Peter, even if he didn't understand all of his antics. Yes, Quill acted like a jerk most of the time, but Groot could only see how deeply he cared and how selfless he was. Like he could see Gamora's fierce righteousness and need for redemption hiding behind her detached demeanor, Drax's gentle soul behind his abrupt warrior facade or Rocket's emotional scars buried under tons of sarcasm and anger. Most of all, and he knew it because he felt it too, they were all looking for a sense of belonging, yearning for something they could call family, and they found it with one another.
With the Guardians, he had found respect and care for him and Rocket. They also gave him music, and some peace of mind. Thus, when some weird looking beasts were threatening the well being of his new family, he had to kill them all and that was as simple as that.
Peter crouched before the creature's dead body and carefully touched it with a gloved hand. It had a spongy texture and smelled like rot. He deactivated his mask for a second to verify a hunch and let out an intrigued snort as he discovered that the beast was now visible to the naked eye and looked even more hideous than it appeared through the lenses.
He turned with a start when Groot made a distressed sound behind him and swore loudly. His friend had continued his investigations through the common area and was now surrounded by four new creatures which came from an open hatch giving to the lower compartments of the ship.
He raised his bullet gun and fired, but it didn't work either. "Damn, what are these things made of!?" At least, his shooting had drawn two of the beasts' attention to him, evening the odds for Groot who growled as the other two jumped at him.
Peter placed himself behind the central table, putting it between him and the two monsters crawling toward him. He was running out of ideas on how to kill them from a relatively safe distance beside using a hand grenade or Rocket's hadron enforcer, and those weapons were definitely a no since blowing the whole ship with him and the team still inside was a little counter-productive. Bracing himself, he drew the hand-carved dagger Drax had given him and jumped on the beast the closest to him, thrusting the blade into the tender part between its hideous head and its shell-covered shoulders. He sighed in relief as the thing fell down under him, then turned on his back to face the second one just in time to plunge the dagger into the clawed paw aiming for his throat.
The situation was more than uncomfortable. The creature was bigger than him and much more powerful, and he was struggling to pull the blade out of the moving paw while his other hand was pushing under the jaw of the beast to prevent it from biting his head off. His arms were shaking from exertion and he knew he couldn't hold on much longer. Behind him, he could hear Groot fight for his life. Gathering his strength with a long primal shout, he managed to pull the blade out with a jerk and thrust it right under the creature's jaw. The thing collapsed on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs, pinning and almost crushing him under its heavy dead body.
He tilted his head back to see how his friend was doing and would have gasped if he had any air left in his chest. Groot had vines sprouting everywhere, trying his best to maintain the creatures at a safe distance but failing to do so. A pile of gruesome cadavers already lied at his feet but more kept coming and, by the look of it, some of the now dead beasts had managed to plant their fangs and claws into his bark, for his shoulder seemed badly damaged and he had no right arm anymore.
A sudden sense of immediate danger made Peter turn his head to his right, and come face to face with a creature whose mouth was already wide open, about to swallow his head. He thanked the Gods from every religion he knew that his only free limb was the arm still holding the dagger and stabbed the beast in the throat in a knee-jerk reaction.
He couldn't stay like this, stuck and helpless, a free meal ready for consumption. An idea came to him, a very stupid one, but like most of his stupid ideas it could work. He slid his hand under the cadaver on top of him, reaching for his leg and careful not to stab himself in the thigh, then pushed the button of his jet-boots. He popped out with a whoosh and smelling like gross barbecue, knocked down a beast or two on his way out, crashed haphazardly on a wall then fell on the ground in a stunned heap. He got back on his feet in a daze, stars dancing before his eyes, and plunged into the melee.